Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Russia's Magnificent Metro Stations

THE ECONOMIST -- One of the first things you notice when using mass transportation in Moscow or St. Petersburg is the depth and beauty of the two cities' metro systems. Gulliver recently spent some time in both cities' subway systems, but there aren't any photos to show you: it's still illegal to snap pictures in Russian metros (one of the reasons they were built so deep underground was to serve as bomb shelters.)

Despite the restrictions, some fearless Wikipedians and flickr users have taken some beautiful pictures of metro systems all across the former Soviet Union, and Treehugger has put them together into a gorgeous (and informative) slide show (see samples above).

MP: For some stats on the Moscow subway system, see Wikipedia listing here, e.g. daily ridership of 7 million, 177 stations, 12 lines. Especially compared to the U.S., the Russia metro stations are more like museums, basilicas or churches than grimy, subway stations, with marble, chandeliers, columns, and stained glass.

Do the municipal authorities in Russia know about naming rights for stadiums and arenas in the U.S.? Subway Sandwiches could provide tidy annual payments for the rights to the: The Subway Subway Station. This would be a brilliant way to enter the Russian market and coontribute to keeping the marble shiny.

I was in Moscow and (then) Leningrad in 1987 and rode the Moscow subway alot...very beautiful scenery indeed, but a soulless place to be. No life, no vibrancy, it was depressing. Then there was the danger...As was getting lifted off my feet and shoved into cars by small armies of thick elderly babushkas.

The stations stand in stark contrast to the people passing through them.

The escalators are long, narrow and steep. More than once we had the terrifying experience of a drunk falling back on us as we rode the escalator. During rush hour, the crowd turns into a near riot trying to board the damn things.

After exiting the station, you have the "pleasure" of returning to your Soviet built, dilapidated communal apartment.

As I said, I dislike the escalators (in both Moscow and St Petersburg). As the previous poster mentioned, the drunks falling from behind can be frightening but worse is when the station is relatively empty and you're the only one on a giant escalator. It's fine when people are in front of you but when no one is...it's a long view down.

Of course, some of the stations are not underground at all so no escalator worries!

They increase the fares on December 31st of each year and it's still incredibly inexpensive.

Interesting...I didn't know it was illegal to take pictures; I have many. The Metro is definitely a study in contrast; women dressed in the latest fashion, men drinking beer at 9:00 am, nobody looking at each other, nobody talking, and definitely nobody smiling.